Duke Divinity School Tuition, Fees, and Funding Opportunities
Duke Divinity School, a division of Duke University, offers a range of theology programs for graduate and postgraduate students. Established in 1926, it holds the distinction of being the first graduate school at the university. With a strong reputation for its teachings in narrative theology, the school continues to provide comprehensive theological education. This article provides a detailed overview of the tuition, fees, and various funding opportunities available to students at Duke Divinity School.
A Brief Overview of Duke Divinity School
Duke Divinity School has an affiliation with the United Methodist Church. Students can choose from four graduate degree programs, including a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Christian Practice.
The divinity program is the flagship major at the school and asks students to take an in-depth look at religion. Students take six semesters of classes that include Christian Theology, Christian Ethics and Practicing Theology in Ministry. Also available is a Master of Theology, which the school designed for students who are practicing ministers or want to work in the ministry. It includes eight courses and requires that students earn a B or higher in each class. Near the end of the program, they have the choice between doing a thesis or taking a comprehensive exam. The school recommends that students who want to go onto a doctoral program choose the Master of Theological Studies program instead.
Three dual degree programs are open to graduate students too. Two of these include a Master of Divinity. Students can earn that degree along with a Master of Social Work (MSW) or a Master of Public Policy (MPP). The MSW program requires that students take classes at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill and offers a shuttle bus to take them to that campus. MPP students will take classes through the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy.
Duke also offers two doctoral programs: a Doctor of Ministry and a Doctor of Theology. The theology program asks students to take two years of classes and spend the third year working on a dissertation. Divinity majors enroll in a hybrid program that includes five residency sessions. Each session lasts for one week and includes seminars and special programs that students complete on the Duke campus.
Read also: Decoding Duke University
Tuition and Fees Breakdown
The total cost of attendance at the Duke Divinity School starts at $25,150 per year, which is what students in the Master of Divinity program pay. The cost can rise to $40,820 per year for students in the theological doctoral program. A $194 fee covers the government, activity and ministry fees charged by the college. Students pay a separate fee of $880 per year for the student health fee. Duke offers health insurance packages for students that start at $3,535 per year.
The following table provides an estimated breakdown of tuition and fees for the 2025-2026 academic year, but rates are subject to change:
| Expense | Per Term | Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition-MDiv | $15,000 | $30,000 |
| Tuition-MDiv (four-year program) | $11,250 | $22,500 |
| Tuition-MDiv (hybrid, three terms) | $7,500 | $22,500 |
| Tuition-MTS | $15,000 | $30,000 |
| Tuition-ThM | $18,000 | $36,000 |
| Tuition-MDiv/MSW Dual Degree | $18,750 | $37,500 |
| Tuition-ThD | $25,000 | $50,000 |
| Tuition-MA (three terms) | $10,000 | $30,000 |
| Tuition-DMin (three terms) | $10,500 | $31,500 |
| Tuition-Certificate in Theology and Health Care (residential) | $11,250 | $22,500 |
| Tuition-Certificate in Theology and Health Care (hybrid) | $10,000 | $20,000 |
| Transcript Fee (first year only) | - | $120 |
| Student Health Fee (residential only) | $503.50 | $1,007 |
| Student Life Ministry/GPSG Fees | $79.50 | $159 |
| Recreational Facilities Fee (residential only) | $194.50 | $389 |
Other Estimated Expenses
In addition to tuition and fees, students should also budget for living expenses. These costs can vary based on individual preferences and needs. Here are the average estimated living expenses:
| Expense | Cost |
|---|---|
| Books & Supplies | $660 |
| Room | $13,842 |
| Food | $4,320 |
| Transportation | $2,088 |
| Personal Expenses | $4,374 |
Additional Fees
- Admission Deposit Fee: A $100 fee is applied to the first term bill as a credit.
- Audit Fee: Anyone seeking to audit a course in the Divinity School must, with the consent of the instructor concerned, secure permission from the Office of Academic Programs. A fee of $750 (or $375 for alumni) per course will be charged to all auditors who are not enrolled as full-time students.
- Course Continuation Fee: In instances where a student has registered for but not completed all the courses or requirements for their program, a $750 per term fee (all master's programs) or $250 per term fee (DMin) is required for each term. The student must also register for a continuation course as required by the office of Academic Programs.
- ThD Continuation Fee: ThD students who have completed coursework will need to register for the continuation course (CONTDIV 504) for the fall and spring semesters. The ThD continuation fee is $3,500 per semester.
- Parking Pass: Students who wish to park a motor vehicle on campus will be able to purchase a parking pass through Duke Parking & Transportation (parking.duke.edu).
Tuition Structure
For full-time students, tuition is charged on a per-semester basis and is not affected by the number of courses taken. Residential MDV, MTS, and THM students may take a reduced load of three courses per semester and remain full-time. A merit scholarship student is required to take three or four courses to remain eligible for a merit scholarship. In special circumstances, middler and senior students may take additional courses than on paradigm, but this is considered an overload and requires the permission of the Academic Dean.
Students taking one or two courses per semester are considered part-time and will be charged a per-course tuition rate that will be equivalent to one-fourth the per-semester tuition amount plus a 10 percent registration fee. Part-time students are not eligible for merit scholarships or institutional aid.
Read also: Learn about Duke's Colors
Divinity School scholarship awards are calculated as a percentage of the overall tuition.
Payment and Penalty
Invoices for tuition, fees, and other charges are delivered to students electronically on DukeHub. If full payment is not received, a late payment charge will be assessed on the next invoice, and certain restrictions will be applied. A monthly tuition payment plan is available through Nelnet.
An individual will be in default of this agreement if the total amount due on the student invoice is not paid in full by the invoice due date. An individual who is in default will not be allowed to register for classes, receive a transcript of academic records, have academic credits certified, or receive a diploma at graduation. In addition, an individual in default may be subject to withdrawal by Duke University.
Tuition and Fees Refund Policy
Tuition and mandatory fees are required to be paid in full, regardless of:
- the method of instruction and/or mode of academic delivery;
- any changes to instructional content, schedule, or duration of the semester;
- any inability to access Duke University-maintained facilities; and
- any disruption to or cancellation of activities, events, services, or programs during the academic year.
Tuition and mandatory fees will not be refunded in whole or in part for any reason, except as provided for under the Refund Policy for residential or hybrid programs. By paying the tuition and mandatory fees, the student and anyone paying tuition on their behalf acknowledges and accepts these terms.
Read also: Duke University Tuition Costs
In the event of death, a full tuition and fees refund will be granted; and in all other cases of withdrawal from school, tuition will be refunded according to the published schedule.
Withdrawal Schedule and Tuition Refund for MACP, MDivH, and DMin Programs
The standard tuition refund structure for students who withdraw from Duke University assumes that courses are residentially based, begin and end on the same dates as other courses offered at Duke, and that course instruction is evenly distributed across the residential semester. Due to the alternative educational platform of the hybrid classes, the degree programs (MACP, MDivH, and DMIN) operate with an alternative tuition refund structure.
Hybrid classes are offered in three terms each year. The first (immersive) week of each term is similar to the first 3 weeks of a regular residential semester. The subsequent online course instruction is distributed across multiple weeks with a pace and structure more similar to the regular residential term than the initial immersive week.
The following tuition refund rubric will be for all terms:
| Time of Withdrawal | Percentage of Tuition Refunded |
|---|---|
| Before the first day of class | 100% |
| During the first week (residential immersion) | 80% |
| During the second or third week | 60% |
| During the fourth or fifth week | 20% |
| After the fifth week | 0% |
If the tuition adjustment results in a credit balance, the student may elect to have the balance refunded or carried forward for future terms. There is no adjustment or refund of mandatory fees after classes begin.
Drop/Add deadline: Friday of the first reading week. After this date, all drops become a W on transcript.
Financial Aid and Funding Opportunities
More than 99 percent of Duke Divinity School students receive more than $6.6 million in financial aid every year. Duke Divinity School offers a variety of financial aid and funding opportunities to support its students.
Scholarships and Fellowships
- Rural Fellowships: These go to students who live in rural parts of North Carolina and have leadership experience.
- Field Experience Funding: Students who need field experience can sign up for funding programs that pay them $9,100 a year for their fieldwork. As they do internships, they can get more than $27,000 from the school every year.
- Hispanic House of Studies Scholarships: Hispanic and Latino students can apply for scholarships through the Hispanic House of Studies, which are full-tuition scholarships.
Ph.D. and Th.D. Funding
- Ph.D. Funding: Beginning with the 2022-23 academic year, all Ph.D. students in their guaranteed funding years will receive 12-month stipends, which is $31,160 for the current academic year. Ph.D. students at Duke are guaranteed summer research fellowships for the summers after their first and second academic years of study. Ph.D. students will be financially supported through a combination of departmental and extra-departmental funds for the majority of the time they are registered and working toward their degree. A number of supported Teaching or Research Assistantships are available, funded through a department’s instructional budget, or a faculty member’s research funds.
- Th.D. Funding: Students admitted to the Th.D. program are awarded scholarships that covers tuition and fees for full time enrollment at Duke Divinity School. Currently, the program is set up to pay fellowships on a 9-month basis for the first 5 years. Summer funding is guaranteed in summers 1 and 2 of the program. Students who no longer have guaranteed summer funding are encouraged to apply for competitive funding both internally and externally.
Grants and Awards
- Harold O.J. Brown Award: Named after the late Harold Brown, a theologian who worked at the intersection of theology, science, and culture, the Brown Award is a paper competition for doctoral students engaged in interdisciplinary work in theological studies. All students enrolled in an accredited PhD or ThD program are welcome to apply. Grants are awarded for 1-6 months to highly qualified candidates who have completed a master’s degree, or in exceptional cases a bachelor’s degree, by the time they begin their grant-supported research, or those who have already completed a Ph.D. The Brown Award is conferred on the basis of its display of literary craftsmanship, intellectual humility, competence in the handling of evidence, and the significance of its contribution to the current scholarly and ecclesial conversations. With the generous support of the Templeton Religion Trust, the Henry Center welcomes submission exploring the problems and prospects of affirming the Christian doctrine of creation in light of modern scientific research.
- Endowed Fund: This endowed fund provides competitive funding for summer and/or academic year research.
- Duke Graduate School Fellowships: The Duke Graduate School offers a number of fellowships for continuing Ph.D. students, including fellowships that provide full support for the academic year, summer research fellowships for the summer, teaching fellowships, and dissertation research travel awards.
- Charlotte W. Newcombe Fellowships: Designed to encourage original and significant study of religious and ethical values in fields across the humanities and social sciences, the Newcombe Fellowships are available to Ph.D. and Th.D. candidates who expect to complete their dissertation between April and August 2021. Encourage research about women and gender that crosses disciplinary, regional, or cultural boundaries. Recent Fellows have explored such topics as reproduction in the context of chronic disease, algorithmic detection of child abuse images, and changing feminist visions at the UN from 1975 to 1995. For the 2019/20 academic year, the Center seeks to award new fellowships for dissertation support providing full or half-time support for one year of work.
Application Process
Duke encourages students to take a look at all the available programs to decide which one is right for them before they apply. The early application deadline for all programs is November first. There is also a priority deadline of January 15, which is the same deadline for students seeking financial aid. Students who do not need financial aid can apply by the final deadline of April 15.
To apply, students must create an application account online through the Duke OneLink system. This will link their accounts to one of their social media pages. The school can access their pages to make sure that the student meets their standards. Students will add the contact information for their references to the application, which allows the school to contact those references and ask for a letter of recommendation. The school’s programs ask for one to three letters of recommendation. They will pay a $45 application fee once they complete the application and then submit their required documents.
Accreditation
Though the Duke Divinity School is part of Duke University, it has different accreditation than the university does. The school has accreditation from the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (CAATS) to offer degree programs to students in the United States and Canada.
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